Shinji: Just Shinji
by Blob-like Substance
Summary: AU. Following the death of Yui, Gendo turned mad. Stripped of his family name and home, the traveling Shinji found his way to the mainland. What awaits him? Sequel to Are We Not All The Same?
1. Shinji's debut!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, objects, or references in this story. They are owned by Gainax, and whatever other owners of the different Eva-related anime/games.

A/N: I guess I wrote the first chapter to my fantasy fic just to take a break from the development of Rokubungi Legacies. I am having a bit of trouble trying to fit in Kaji sometime BEFORE the ending, and the whole Rokubungi history has to be sorted out. I planned it to be 25-30 chapters long, but my lack of planning might not match my desired results. Thus I bring you this fic!

--

_"Takumi Yamashita, EXILED! Takumi Matsuo, EXILED! Ikari Shinji, EXILED, family name, STRIPPED!" Gendo fumingly shouted, uncharacteristic of him. It had been a horrible day._

_"Gendo! What do you think you're doing? You're exiling Yui-sama's child, and the Takumi brothers who had served us for generations!" Fuyutsuki pleaded for them in his own way._

_"The Ikari house has no use for those who would not change!" Gendo slammed his palm into the wall nearby. "I will NOT accept them as members of our house!"_

_"Gendo, Yui-sama's death was unfortunate, but it gives no reason for you to do this!" Fuyutsuki was beginning to fume as well. The Takumi brothers had served Yui's father, then Yui herself. They were to serve Shinji, too, once he grew up. But Gendo had ruined the family, by not only exiling the most loyal of the members, but the heir as well._

_"You dare go against me, Fuyutsuki-sensei?" The man said in a threatening tone._

_"I do not acknowledge you as my superior, Gendo. You are exiling our heir! Yui-sama would never have allowed for this, Rokubungi-kun!" Fuyutsuki kept his voice low for somebody as mad as he was. He would have left the house with them, had he not had an obligation to fill with Yui's father._

_"Son or not son, I won't accept those who would not change for the future! My decision will not be changed. Do not show me more disrespect, Fuyutsuki." The stone faced man looked down at the old man, as if deeming him inferior._

_"Gendo, I knew it was a mistake to allow Yui-sama leave the fate of our house to you."_

--

Shinji awoke with a drop of dew flying into his face. The memories of being exiled by his father, while being too scared to say a thing had done a number on his fragile mind.

He had lost his mother, Ikari Yui, at the age of 6. A year afterwards, he had berated his father for trusting the blasted pirate ship from China, filled with suspicious westerners who had held thunder sticks. Because of their foreign charms that were supposed to be more powerful than Buddhist charms, his mother had lost her soul to the suit of armor the last westerners had brought. This landed him, and the Takumi brothers their exile.

He had lived with the Takumi brothers for a couple of years, learning the usage of his last remnant of his mother-A peculiarly shaped straight back katana. Obviously, the blade was a masterpiece despite it being straight edged, but the katar-like handle aroused the curiosity of all those who didn't know its origins, and the lust of those who did. For years, he had to fend for himself when attacked, because none dared to challenge the awesome Twin Takumi Tsunami, a strategic string of secret Ikari family techniques the two brothers did in perfect unison, killing many at once or one many times. The most logical thing was to get the kid when he was alone.

But he wanted to see the world, so now, he ended up in the mainland. The source of all of his problems, and where he had seen his first panda. Away from the protection of his guardians, and wandering by himself, performing with the last of which he was to remember his mother by for money.

It was a sad age. Everybody adopted the usage of the thunder sticks the weird colored people had brought, and the usage of martial arts had declined. But it was a good thing for the boy, because he did not like to kill people. Had he came to the mainland two hundred years ago, he would be haunted by bandits and thieves who thought they could match up to the Shaolin Temple.

A few did, but they would not want a petty family heirloom. They would go after the sought after legendary martial arts, and remnants of the legendary all-curing elixirs, the masterpiece of famous Chinese pharmacists.

None realized the elixirs were simply mythological, though. But then, the Buddhist charms and the westerners' charms seemed mythological too. Perhaps they might not be so fruitless in their search after all.

The boy rubbed his eyes from thinking over the events of his dream, like he did every time he had it. He had gotten quite good with the strange sword he had held, and had made a small name for himself.

"Another day... The mainland is worse off than home..." He murmured to himself, as he stepped out into another rowdy day of people fighting over the acceptance of the foreigners. He had been sleeping out in a bamboo forest whenever he could, and that was another day of that. He loved seeing the peaceful lives of the elusive beasts that mainland had held. He was an artist in nature, his sword danced with each slash, like the poetry that was credited to him.

Out of all the gifts the westerners had brought, the only thing that had appealed to him was their instruments. He loved the melodies they played that could reflect weathers and emotions, and it fascinated him to no end.

Setting his foot into the village he had been staying in for the past few days, he had grown to know a few people. Namely, the bartender. The bartender had counted on him to bring in customers, while he counted on the bartender to feed him. The strange sword he used, and the stranger swordsmanship he displayed caused kids and adults like to gaze with interest, drawing attention to the bar which provided them refreshments.

This was a regular day, as Shinji stepped into the bar yet again, to the counter to pick up the usual.

"Hey, Ikari!" The bartender shouted, in Chinese, a language Shinji had learned in the year he spent in the mainland.

"Hello, Yun Guan." The boy replied in the same language. It had been hard trying to drop his Japanese speaking habits, namely the suffixes after names, but he did it.

Suddenly, two men barged in, arguing over the drugs and weapons the westerners brought in.

"Just another regular day?"

"Yea, pretty much." Yun Guan replied. "So, noble boy, how do you like the mainland so far?"

"Please stop calling me that." Shinji's face turned into a scowl at the mention of it. "I am an exile."

"Hahaha, I didn't mean to agitate you. How about some wine?" The bartender laughed, amused by the boy's reactions once again.

Shinji hanged his head in shame, embarrassed by his own outburst, as he simply placed a note on the table, indicating just when he will begin performing. Seeing the bartender nod with a smile and shout to the waitresses, he left for his table and waited for the adult liquid.

A young waitress came, bearing a bottle. Her face flushing. This was the bartender's daughter, 6 years old. She's the exclusive waitress for friends and long-time customers, and she had a crush that was never meant to be on the boy 5 years older than she was.

"Here you go Shinji!" She said cheerily with a blush, as she placed the small clay jar with great effort on Shinji's table. Seeing Shinji's smile, she beamed with joy and skipped away happily.

He drank the burning drink, and sighed. His life had been peaceful in this village, as with the many villages he had already visited. He would leave in another week, and surely the girl will be sad.

"I know you're a traveler, but pay no mind to my daughter." Yun Guan appeared out of nowhere, apparently seeing the little exchange.

"Sorry, I just don't want to hurt anybody." The boy said in a weak tone.

"Sure, sure, you got drunk on your first day here and told me all about your past." The bartender smiled. "My daughter is like that, but don't worry. Once she gets a day of crying, she usually perks right back up, and finds something else just as good."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Yun Guan." The boy smiled at the man who had fed him and given him drinks.

"You're growing up awfully fast, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" Asked the confused boy.

"Drinking is a sign of adulthood, Shinji." The bartender replied with a pat on the shoulder. "By showing the world you are ready to take this burning liquid, you show you have the burning passion of a man!"

"I... I guess I don't know anything." The boy sighed.

"Now now, don't be all gloomy. You're a great kid, pretty talented too. Now, your show is about to start. Heres something to eat." Yun Guan produced a plate of meat buns for the boy, seemingly from nowhere. It had always seemed like magic to Shinji how the man can somehow hide the biggest objects without fail.

"Thank you, Yun Guan." Shinji stood, bowed, and downed the rest of his of his drink in one breath. Bringing his plate of food outside the bar's entrance, he began eating while waiting for the people to gather. It had become a tradition in this small village for the first person to see the note taped outside the bar to inform everybody he or she should come across, and let the news spread on when the performance will be starting so everybody can make time.

As soon as the crowd began to gather, he took out the peculiar looking out of its specially made sheath, like always, and gave the mainland locals a show of a Japanese noble family arts.

Shinji threw his plate of meat buns into the air, and cleanly slices all 5 of them with exact precision, and then with a single thrust, the fillings of all 5 were all skewered onto the sword, despite the fact that the pieces seemed to be in an extremely jagged line, and the bun was dropped back onto the plate..

Everybody clapped, watched him eat, and went to get something to eat and drink themselves. Shinji smiled to himself, and felt a presence.

"Why aren't you grabbing a bite?" The boy looked up, and saw a blue haired, red eyed girl in an Ikari family kimono.

There was no reply as he stared wide-eyed into the ever-so-familiar fashion of the girl, as a gunshot was fired and scared off the birds. He looked at the direction of the sound, and turned back to the girl. Strangely, she was gone.

"What's going on here?" The boy asked the customers in the bar.

"It-It's the bandits!" One of them shouted, and Yun Guan immediately began explaining.

"There's a band of bandits who come now and then to this humble village, Shinji. Don't involve yourself with them, they'll just collect the money and leave."

"But-But I can't just..." Shinji wanted to help the villagers who had shown him such hospitality, but he was scared to take lives. Though he was a skilled swordsman, he was only a 11 year old introvert. Nobody can possibly expect him to take lives yet.

"Yes, yes you can. Now stay in the cellar, and be a good boy." The bartender's gaze was serious, but showed fear and caring as well.

"I mustn't run away... I mustn't run away... I mustn't run away..." The boy chanted quietly, as if possessed. "I can't run anymore... I'm sorry Yun Guan!" He shouted the last sentence, and ran out the door.

"Damn it! The kid is gonna get himself killed!" Yun Guan fumed. Last time a traveler had tried to play hero, the bandits had shot a few holes in him with those new gun things the Europeans brought, which this hero insists on calling thunder sticks. Then, those bandits hanged his half-dying body out to dry in the sun, and the man died a slow, painful death, and this was a 28 year old martial artist. Everybody was scared for the boy, but none dared to help him.

--

"I mustn't run away... This isn't the first time I've fought... Not the first time I've killed..." Shinji chanted to himself, as he pulled out his sword into his battle stance. It looked as if he was possessed by a demon, half kneeling, half crouching, a leg ready to kick start a run. The gunshot was heard again, and the galloping of hooves could be heard coming closer and closer. Outside the village gate, a cloud of dust could be seen. "They're here... I mustn't run away..."

--

The bandit leader was delighted, it wasn't everyday that an European colony had given them a girl to satisfy their hunger for cash, and this was one beautiful girl they had recieved. She would be worth at least a few thousand grams of gold, which was quite a lot for a girl her age, if she was sold a virgin. Perhaps she could also be a good enough bribe to get the judge to pass them off as innocent if they ever got caught. Firing these new guns they had acquired, they made way to another village. Not going to be as good as the last loot, but surely they've got food and great wine for them waiting, from the experiences of the past.

What met them at the gates was a possessed looking boy, holding a strange, imported sword.

"Oh? A new kid in this neighborhood?" The head bandit asked, amused.

"Y-yes, and I suggest you l-leave, I do not like taking lives." The boy stuttered while talking, taking away all credibility from his speech.

"Oh, hey, the kid is threatening us! What, mommy is gonna spank us if we hurt you?" The leader laughed at the kid trying to be brave.

"Don't talk about my mother like that!" The boy shouted, all fear dispelled by the insult, and a gun was pointed at his sword arm. The boy was clearly amused rather than scared at this. "Do you really think that toy the strange men brought will hurt me?"

"Insolent boy, eat your words!" The leader shouted, as he pulled the trigger. The bullet's crooked path flew right past the boy's peasant clothes, dusting it with gunpowder but otherwise not hurting the boy at all. What followed was a graceful leap, and a lightning fast spin, before the life of the head bandit flashed in front of his eyes, as his neck was slashed just enough for him to die, but not enough to be beheaded.

"BOSS!"

"YOU LIL BASTARD!"

"WHAT THE HELL!" The various bandits shouted at the fall of their leader, and drew their swords. All charged at the boy, as he simply spun backwards, dodging most of the hits and blocking the rest with his sword. A group of 20 bandits, one dead and rest startled, were all affected by this boy.

Shinji knocked back the swords that had clashed with his family heirloom, jumped up, and slashed the necks of the three who had actually tried to hit him. Three more fell, and nineteen became sixteen.

"BASTARD!" The rest shouted, and began another unison attack. It was dodged just as easily, as another fell in the same fashion.

"Please, stop this." The boy pleaded, stabilizing himself from his landing.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" One of the bandits piped up. "Nobody tells US what to do, especially after killing 5 of our brothers!" He charged forward to the boy, brandishing his blade. He brought it down, only to have it parried and be killed with a sword in his throat. 14 left, 6 dead. Shinji's blade started to be tainted with blood, despite his best efforts at making the kill as fast as possible.

The fourteen enraged bandits left all charged at Shinji from different directions, taking turns. They were much more organized now, and had managed to cut open Shinji's sleeve. But Shinji had simply had to spin like a top, as each and every blow was deflected or dodged to a certain degree. The dizzy Ikari jumped and brought his blade down, slashing the last bandit who had engaged him in the neck, followed by a swift kick to knock him off his horse. Before the horse could run like the other 6, however, Shinji grabbed its neck and got on its back.

"Shit! This kid is good!" One of the bandits exclaimed.

"Stupid brat, die already!" Another shouted, and they began their assault again on the mounted boy. This time, the thirteen had split into two lines of 6, as the best swordsman of the group charged head-on into the boy. It was a stream of blades, followed by a single cleave from above. But what they had not counted on, was the target leaping off of his horse, and killing the first bandit he came across, and rode the dead man's horse instead. Thus, they simply slashed one of their own horses into ribbons, then in half, as their numbers dwindled down yet again. This time by a huge amount, due to the boy making his horse turn a sharp 180 degrees, slashing straight through the line of 5 behind him by extending the sword on his arm. Now they were down to 7, and the fight seemed one-sided.

"Cursed boy! Ok, grab the loot and retreat!" The makeshift leader shouted, but a blade was brought to his neck.

"No, leave the loots." The boy said quietly, riding his new horse.

"Y-Yes! Leave the loot!" The leader feared for his own life, and money was simply material things.

"Step off your horses, and leave quietly." The boy commanded, a trait he learned from his dad before the insanity induced by his mother's death.

"Y-yes, of course!" The man complied with his wishes, and all 7 men stepped off their horses and ran like the devil had possessed them.

Shinji simply fainted from exhaustion afterwards.

--

"DADDY! DADDY! SHINJI WOKE UP!" The bartender's little girl shouted.

"Really? That's great, Yun Yun!" The voice of the bartender could be heard.

Shinji found himself in a bed, rather than where he had last remembered. Beside him, was a flame haired girl.

"GAHH! WHAT IS THIS?" He shouted as he fell out of the bed with a crash, his body suddenly felt sore as he crashed straight into his sheathed sword, every inch of his muscles aching for rest.

Yun Guan's calm footsteps became rapid and impatient running, as he slammed the door open to see what had happened.

"Yun Guan! Explain!" Shinji shouted angrily, still hurting, as he pointed to the girl that was in the same bed as he was. The beet red face was a hilarious sight.

Yun Guan laughed a hearty laugh, as he placed two bowls of rice and some vegetable stir fry on the table in the room.

"Eat up, you'll need the energy after that fight." He calmed down and smiled, and began to walk out the door.

"I still want an explanation for this!" The boy shouted at the retreating man.

"Well, this was our only room, and we found her with the cash they stole. Probably planned on selling her or something." The man shrugged. "Sick bastards. She's only about your age." He walked off mumbling about the boy not grown up enough yet, chuckling.

Shinji sat dumbfounded, not knowing what Yun Guan had meant, but shrugged it off and prepared to enjoy his meal. He knew Yun Guan was the chef of this place, and he knew Yun Guan was a damn good chef.

--

The flame haired girl stirred in her sleep, and slowly opened her eyes. Instead of the darkness of being confined in a box, she found herself staring at bright daylight.

"I guess I'm sold, huh?" She mumbled to herself, in her native tongue, German.

"Did you say something?" A young boyish voice asked from a table on the other side of the room.

Switching to the tongue of this country, she spoke with a heavy accent. "I didn't say anything." She looked up, and saw a boy clad in clothes fit for a farmer, eating a traditional lunch. "W-Wait, I got sold to YOU?" She screamed. "I can't be worth THAT little, can I?"

"Haha, when you get sold by bandits, most people think about what's about to happen to them." A new, deep voice laughed.

"Yun Guan, I don't understand..." The boy was still nagging about what the bartender had meant when he called the bandits sick bastards.

"Look, this isn't for kids to hear." The man told the boy.

"But you said I grew up when I drank!" The curiosity had breached the layers of weak exterior the boy had put on, as he begged for an answer.

"Well..."

"They were going to sell me to please land lords." The girl said casually. But Shinji was dense enough to ask one question.

"How do you please them?"

"Baka..." She murmured, but Shinji had heard.

"I heard that!"

"Heard what?"

"'Baka', I head you say it!"

_"Damn, I knew I should have used dummkopf." _She thought, as she hurriedly changed the subject by answering his question. "Want a demonstration?" She teased, as she loosened her silk Chinese Dress.

"W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" The boy shouted, as his face turned beet red while the man identified as Yun Guan simply laughed as if the funniest thing in the world happened.

"What are you going to do to me if you aren't going to do THAT!" The girl asked, annoyed and angry by the strangeness of the situation.

"You're a funny girl. The first girl I knew to actually not mind being sold." Yun Guan smiled. "Shinji here killed 13 men for you, probably saw you before all of us." His smile turned to a grin as Shinji simply turned more red.

She pushed herself of the bed, forgetting the fact that her dress was loosened. She walked over to the boy to test him, who squirmed back in fear, as if he was about to be devoured.

"I'm Sohryu Asuka Langley, pleased to meet you." She smiled a warm smile, but looked down at him as if he was an inferior being.

" I-Ikari S-Shinji. P-please p-p-pull y-your d-dress-" Shinji stammered, still squirming back and trying not to notice the barely noticable, prematurely developing bumps in Asuka's chest.

"SHINJI NO BAKAAAAA!"

**_To be continued when I get stuck in my first story again._**

A/N: And so concludes the first chapter. Though theres not much fantasy, mostly real stuff just taking place in another time, like with the prelude. But later on, the fantasy stuff will appear! I swear!

This takes place somewhere in the 1600s. The Europeans imported guns and drugs to China some time around that century, and they were vastly popular, ruining the economy and chain of command in the glorious, war torn country. Sometime along those years, there was a civil war in China because of the drugs the Europeans had brought. The people felt it was ruining their lives, but the corrupted government sold precious food for these addicting products. Then there was this pirate ship that shipped rifles to Japan, which caused Japan to mass produce these rifles and thus in both countries with a long history of martial arts, the way of the fist and the way of the sword were lost in time. Of course, this is a horribly rough outline. I haven't been taught Chinese history for like 5 years, so I'm not sure of the facts now, and the research I've done for the Japanese history was just searching the name of the era on Google and reading a page's worth of summary. So the history is sure to not match to actual records. If that's the case, just pretend, ok?


	2. Getting to know her

Disclaimer on chapter 1

A/N: W00t, stuck again! Chapter 14 of RL is almost done though!

--

A loud slap echoed in the room, as Yun Guan simply left the room for the two kids to have some privacy. The foreigner who had just introduced herself quickly pulled her dress back up.

"Why'd you slap me?" The boy asked, no idea what had just happened.

"Because you're a pervert!" Asuka shouted back to the boy who had just seen her half naked.

Shinji rubbed his slapped cheek. "You know, for somebody who seemed so ready to submit to your fate, you certainly retaliate with force." He mumbled.

"What did you say, Ikari?" The red haired girl sounded annoyed.

"Don't call me that!" Shinji shouted angrily.

"Why? Want me to be close and snuggly to you and call you by your given name?" Asuka said in a tone that could be called 'arrogant', 'annoyed' and maybe 'inconsiderate' if you knew about Shinji.

"I've been exiled by my father." The boy said coldly, as he looked away. This seemed to have struck a nerve in the foreign girl.

"Oh..." Was all she managed to say, before forgetting everything she wanted to say. She then found an interesting item on the bedpost. "Hey, is that weird looking sword yours?" She reached for it, and as if the boy had been standing right behind her, a blurring hand zooming to her wrist.

"Don't touch that, FOREIGNER!" He spoke, shouting the last word as he moved, the look on his face suggested extreme hate and anger.

"W-What did you call me!" Asuka was agitated by the word he used. "I have a name, and I certainly don't like to be called a foreigner by another foreigner!"

"You're not worthy enough to touch it!" The boy seemingly ignored her as he hung the sword across his back. Asuka was taken aback by this comment, and slapped him again.

This time, the slap was stopped with a firm hand twisting her arm.

"You westerners need to learn your place." The boy whispered in a threatening tone, as he left the room in a calm, calculating rage.

"What's with the spineless wimp...?"

--

Yun Guan had heard the word foreigner being shouted, and immediately he understood what was going on.

"Xiao Mi! Take over for a while!" He shouted to his daughter, before he walked to the staircase where Shinji would be sure to come down from. Sure enough, Shinji had came, hate and anger seeping from every pore in his body.

"Shinji, it isn't good to dwell on past hatred." Yun Guan tried to get through to the boy, but he was simply ignored. "Shinji!" He raised his voice, and got no reaction still.

Convinced that he would need more than voice, the man spun the thin boy around and stabbed him in a pressure point, which immobilized him.

"What do you want, Yun Guan?" Shinji finally took notice of the man.

"You shouldn't dwell on hatred, Shinji." The man told the boy with a teaching tone.

"I live my life as a wanderer because of my past, Yun Guan. You can't understand."

"But I do, because before I settled down, I was just like you." The man smiled upon seeing the boy's surprised face. "But my father did a disastrous thing. He killed men because he felt like it."

Shinji could only stare blankly at the man whom he had known to be a kind and caring bartender.

"He abandoned me, so I didn't know. Then, he was killed by his best friend." Yun Guan continued. "Then, my mother left him with me. But... She died too." His eyes threatened to well with tears at the memory. "So I was all alone, and his best friend took me in."

Shinji tried to form words of protest, but found his attempts useless.

"So one day, I hurt one of their family servants by accident in a friendly duel. I was scared, so I ran. When I had escaped, I joined various schools of martial arts, where I learned martial arts and swordsmanship. Until I joined the the Tai Ji Jian Pai. During the final entrance exam there, I accidentally killed my opponent with a forbidden technique I was not supposed to know." He smiled a bitter smile. "So I resumed my adventuring, and I eventually found out who had killed my father."

"So how does this relate?" Shinji finally had said. "My mother did no wrong."

"I understand that, but let me finish." Yun Guan said, as he released the pressure point. "So I sought out revenge." He sighed a sad smile, as if it pained him to discuss this part. "I killed him in a dishonorable way, and I thought nothing of it. But he was a hero to the people. He fought the corrupted judges and governors who taxed the people heavily for their own personal gains, defended the people against bandits and thieves, bought food for them with his own money..."

Shinji thought about what he had said, and understood.

"I killed a hero, because of my hatred. I sunk into the lowest of low amongst martial artists, and I willingly gave up my life of adventuring, and settled down in this remote little village." The man gestured around him. "This is what I have now, a bar, a peaceful life, a loving family. But I regret what I did, Shinji. I wish you wouldn't make the same mistake." With that, the man left Shinji to digest what he had said by himself. He himself returned to serving customers.

"I understand..." Shinji murmured to himself, ashamed he had let his emotions and memories get the best of him. Standing still and thinking deep for what seemed like an eternity, but really just minutes, he decided it would be best if he returned to the room where he had left the foreign girl.

--

Asuka stared blankly into the door, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The boy had shown her such hate when she reached for his sword, and yet before that he had seemed like a innocent, spineless wimp. Hearing murmuring downstairs that sounded like Yun Guan, she thought of the possible scenarios. But before she came to a conclusion, the talking stopped, and Shinji had came through the door, looking as if his pet had died.

"I-I'm sorry for my outburst." The apology surprised Asuka. "I... I have a grudge... Against your kind." Shinji admitted.

"Grudge? What kind of grudge?" Asuka asked, curious as to this hatred he had bore.

"The grudge I held for my mother's death, my father's insanity, everything!" He shouted, anger again flickering in his eyes. "But... I shouldn't live on it anymore." His head lowered, as well as his voice. It seems yet another nerve in Asuka had been struck.

"I... I see..." Asuka once again found herself unable to speak, but luckily for her, Shinji broke the silence.

"This sword... It's all I have left of mother..." The tears in his eyes now unmistakable. "I... I didn't want one of the killers touch it... But I guess I should only blame it on those who were involved." He forced a smile, and held the sword out. "You can be the third person since mother's death to touch this blade."

Asuka found herself unable to protest, and unable to keep up her facade, as she reached shakily for the sword as if it would consume her like a beast. Laying her hands upon it, she felt the smooth, ethereal material of the strange handle and sheath. Unsheathing it, the light reflected off of the well-kept blade mixed with her face, made more beautiful by the mystical metal that reflected her.

"I...It's a beautiful sword." She found herself saying, as she willed herself to replace her mask. The sword seemed to draw her in the more she stared at it, and she found herself feeling the flat of the blade with the hand that was holding the sheath from the handle up. Reaching the tip, her hand was cut by the sword and started to bleed. Yet, she felt no pain. The blood seemed to envelope the blade, as they dissipated, coloring the edge red. "Huh?" Asuka looked at the blade, surprised that a drop of blood would do such a thing.

"The nameless sword of Ikari house, a masterpiece which hypnotizes those who tries to connect to it without being a member of the Ikari lineage." Shinji smiled, as he carefully retrieved the sword. "I don't need to sharpen it. This... Isn't made from regular metal."

Asuka was visibly shocked by this. "What is it made of, then?"

Shinji didn't know how to answer, because the details had been kept from him. His mother was supposed to tell him at the age of 10, but his mother died way before then.

"I heard... It was made from an enchanted stone that drinks blood, dug up in this country." Shinji tried to explain. "It was what had made me interested in coming to the mainland. There's so many mysteries here, so many adventures."

"A stone? Drinking blood? Who had heard of such nonsense?" Asuka laughed at this, but Shinji remained serious.

"Who had heard of a soul-stealing armor from the west?" Shinji's eyes flickered with hate and sadness. Another nerve had been struck in Asuka, all in the span of less than one afternoon.

"W-what...?" Asuka again found herself speechless. "T-that's impossible!"

"Except I saw it work! On mother!" Shinji's teeth bared, his eyes narrowed, but he was making a visible attempt at suppressing anger.

"So... That's why you hate Europeans, is it?" Asuka averted her gaze, unable to let him see the weakness in hers. "I understand..."

"But it's all in the past... Now, enough about me. What are you going to do, separated from your family?" Shinji smiled as he looked at the girl.

"I have no family." Her voice firm and with determination, as she looked back at the boy with a smile on her face. "I don't need one."

"Well, you still need a place to stay, right?" Shinji asked, amazed at her strength, but hid it in case of making her think he was inferior.

"Well, yea, can't expect me to sleep out in the streets can you?"

"Well, if you offer to be a waitress here, I'm sure Yun Guan will find you a place." Shinji smiled, and began to walk towards the door.

"Where do you live? Don't tell me you're a waitress too." She giggled at her own joke.

"Ah, well, I sleep in the bamboo forest outside the village whenever I can."

"And when you cant?"

"I pay for a room here." Shinji answered, and disappeared into the bar. A few moments after he got outside, a loud chorus of cheer was heard outside the room, mostly about the street performer who saved the village. The girl within the sanctuary that was the yet to be rented room stepped out to see what that was about.

What she saw was a bunch of girls swamping a poor, blushing boy as the men all held their jars of wine into the sky, banging them like wild savages as they emptied them with a single gulp. Yun Guan was beaming from the business behind the counters, and Shinji was scrambling to get away.

"I-I'M IN LOVE WITH ASUKA!" Shinji shouted, trying to get away, hiding behind the red haired girl he spotted up the stairs.

"Says who, baka-Shinji?" Asuka grabbed the boy and kicked him back down the stairs, back into the crowd. Everybody laughed as Shinji scrambled out the door.

"Hey, why not join us? Shinji said he'll pay for you." Yun Guan told the girl on top the stairs. "If he ever gets back, that is." Yun Guan chuckled at his last sentence. Asuka grinned an evil grin, and began ordering the most expensive combination of food and non-alcoholic drinks.

"Heh, to somebody that saved you and is willing to pay for your food, you sure are cruel." Yun Guan laughed.

"Well, my price has been paid." Asuka replied with a confident smile, and waited for her food. When it arrived, she found herself staring at a roasted boar and a pot of tea. "You can't be serious, a meal this big but nothing better than this basic form of tea?"

"Well, what did you expect, girl?" A man said behind her, as he took a seat right next to the girl. "Say, you're pretty good looking. How much is Shinji selling you?" The man was met with her standing, followed by a kick in the face.

"Hentai!" She kicked the man again in the rib and returned to staring at her food. After a few groans from the man on the ground, she began to carefully dig in like an extra elegant wolf. Just then, a tired boy returned, dragging a dead boar behind him.

"Ugh... I think I lost them." Shinji collapsed on the floor. "Yun Guan, here, payment..." He said before panting heavily.

"Hey! Shinji is back everybody!" A man shouted, and everybody ordered another round of wine.

"Baka-Shinji! Get up!" The red haired girl left her food to tower over the half-dead boy, and nudged him in the ribs lightly with her feet.

Shinji looked up, and saw the same blue haired girl appear behind Asuka. Shinji used all his resolve to not look away this time.

"Who are you?" Shinji asked. Asuka seemed surprised. "Not you Asuka, the person behind you!" Using his best efforts not to blink, he waited until everybody looked at the girl behind Asuka. Once everybody had looked that way, Shinji let out a sigh of relief as he finally blinked.

"What are you talking about? There's nobody behind me." Asuka looked annoyed.

"B-But she had blue hair and red eyes!" Shinji retorted. "And she was right behind you!"

"You're imagining things." Asuka said coldly. "Now get up!"

Shinji complied with her orders, and sighed. He was being ordered around by a girl who was to be sold, and whom he had saved.

"Are you sure you're being sold by the bandits, and not the other way around?" Shinji mumbled quietly, but Asuka still heard him.

"Baka!" She shouted, as she kicked the boy in the shin and stormed off back to her boar.

"A-Are you sure you can eat all that?" Shinji looked at her in fear for his wallet. His boar might not be as big as that one.

"You're gonna eat it with me!" She declared. "And don't try anything funny, or you're going to have to crawl."

Suddenly, the leg she had kicked felt extremely painful for Shinji. Deciding it was best not to joke around with her, he reluctantly limped and sat next to her. It was then Yun Guan chose to show up.

"Nice boar, Shinji. You choose animals better than you choose girls." He joked, and got a death glare from the girl he was referring to. At that, he laughed. "My point proven."

"Well, I guess that wouldn't pay off this huge one you have for her, will it?"

"Shinji, you don't know much do you?" Yun Guan smiled. "A boar is not for only its meat. Everything about it is a treasure. The bones and tusks are used to make accessories, some of the guts and innards medicine, and the meat into what you see here. This boar will be sufficient."

"Thank you, Yun Guan." The boy smiled and turned back to the girl. What he found was the girl running to the washroom stalls. Hurling sounds could be heard afterwards. Shinji stared blankly at where she disappeared to, wondering what had just happened. Shaking off what happened, Shinji decided to commence what he had planned to do tonight. "Yun Guan! I'll have 2 jars!" Shinji shouted.

"In a hurry to grow? Don't get into any fights, Shinji, I'm sure none of us can beat you if you have that sword of yours." Yun Guan replied, as he got two waitresses to bring Shinji what he wanted.

Shinji grabbed the first jar, and began chugging it down. That was when Asuka returned.

"Asuka, what's wrong?" He asked, stopping his drink mid-way.

"N-Nothing... Just had a few servings too many of Chinese medicine, that's all." She answered. "I don't feel like eating anymore."

Shinji shrugged it off, and resumed drinking.

"Are you sure you should be drinking?" Asuka asked, amazed that Yun Guan would let a boy his age drink. Instead of an answer from Shinji, Yun Guan was the one to answer.

"Drinking is a part of being a man in our tradition. Being a westerner must make you feel out of place."

_"Especially if you keep on calling me a westerner." _She thought to herself, as she poured herself another cup of tea. The two were left in peace as the rest of the bar celebrated.

Shinji finished his first jar, and looked at Asuka who was still drinking tea, her appetite still gone. He felt a bit queasy, but otherwise fine. Deciding he shouldn't drink anymore for a while, he pulled out his sword, and cut off a piece of the boar, not wishing to disturb the massive mess made by Asuka's teeth marks. Carefully, he ate the piece of meat without getting his saliva on his sword, and he began cutting off another piece. It had been sort of a habit for Shinji since during his childhood, not many guests appreciated food he got his drool on.

"You know, Shinji, I'm not eating anymore. Don't worry about me." Asuka said.

"It's a habit." Shinji replied, as he put the second piece of meat into his mouth.

"How does the wine here taste?"

"Pretty good." Shinji replied casually, as he began slicing yet another piece of meat. "You can have my other jar if you want." Shinji continued, bringing the meat to his mouth.

Asuka simply nodded. The rest of the night gone by without much, except for a slightly drunk Asuka nearly killing whoever that tried to hit on her. Out of respect or fear for the boy who saved the village, none had started a massive bar brawl revolved around her.

--

Shinji sat by his favorite bamboo stalk, and looked up at the moon. "A beautiful moon... A beautiful forest... A beautiful beast. Mainland had been such an adventure to me, and today I had played hero." He smiled._ "But who was the blue haired girl?" _He lowered his head and stared straight ahead. The girl was there once again, the moonlight only enhanced her enigmatic beauty.

"Who are you?" Shinji asked, without blinking. The girl simply stood and bowed. The wind blew, and a leaf covered his vision. When the leaf had made way, the girl was gone again.

_"What is she? A shinobi?" _He sighed to himself, as he turned to a panda behind him. Watching the black and white bear slumbering from a distance, he felt weary himself. Pulling out his sword, he cleaned it on the tall green grass, and made a light cut on his wrist. The blade feasted on the blood the small hole drew, the edge covered in red. "If I told everybody you were a pet, I bet everybody would laugh." He chuckled.

"Yes, I would." A figure, slim and feminine, slipped through the forest. Her hair brought an unusual shine of moonlight, much like her naturally pale skin, though the mysterious blue haired girl's skin was even paler.

"Why are you here?" Shinji asked, as he looked once more at the moon, as if the moon had answers written on its surface.

"Those perverts kept on asking my price." She answered in an annoyed tone. "Mind if I sleep here?"

"Don't disturb the beauty." Shinji warned, as he brought his blade up with his uninjured arm, having it reflect an eerie red on his face. "A beautiful sword to those who call them warriors. But to me, the only beauty is the memories of mother embedded within... And the fact it talks to me."

"Talks to you?"

"It tells me things when I feed it. Each glow shows an omen, that's what my mother told me." Shinji wipes the last of the blood on his would onto the sword, and the sword glowed a more blood-like red onto Shinji's face.

"Sure, now help me get comfortable." Asuka demanded.

"There is a giant patch of grass, over there." Shinji pointed. "Lay the grass down and sleep on it."

"Wait, you want me to sleep on the ground!" Asuka was surprised by the instructions she was given. "What do you think I am, an animal!"

"N-No!" Shinji stammered, trying not to make the girl feel insulted. "It-It's just that... Um..." Shinji tried to find an explanation, and found it in the form of a beast.

"Stop doing that!" Asuka shouted, annoyed at the boy.

"Sorry!" Shinji reflexively replied. "It's just that I don't want to disturb the forest."

"Fine! Well, keep mumbling about your beautiful things around you when you got another one right here!" Asuka pointed at herself with confidence, and made her way to where Shinji had instructed her to go. Laying the grass down as a thin, flat, natural bed, she stared at the night skies. _"It really is beautiful..."_

--

Shinji smiled as Asuka fell into deep slumber. _"Westerners are weird, and why does she have a Japanese name?" _He thought to himself. _"I'll find out some day. My time in this village is about to be up. I wonder what she's going to do."_

Shinji sighed. He was in knee deep into something that was more a burden than any 11 year old could handle. A life was at stake, and he was responsible for it. Somehow.

"Sorry..." He murmured, before laying on his patch of grass. He closed his eyelid, and let darkness take over. His sweet dreams followed.

Somewhere in the shadows, two red eyes watched. But as soon as they closed, all traces of them ever being there faded.

--

On Asuka's side, it wasn't so peaceful, however. _"Who does he think he is?" _Asuka attached a string of curses verbally under her breath to that thought. _"But... His father didn't want him, and his mother died too. He said something about a soul stealing armor... Could it be...?"_

Knowing she was alone, she let a tear fall. _"Why did he remind me? Ikari... I think I've heard of the name somewhere before."_

--

"Rokubungi-kun, what's the meaning of this?" Fuyutsuki asked the new head of the Ikari bloodline.

"I am doing so to bring Yui-chan back, Fuyutsuki." Gendo replied, coldly.

"And so you summon these vile things? You're a monster, Gendo!"

Just then, a blue haired girl stepped into the conversation. "I have located Shinji, Ikari-dono." Gendo simply smiled a warm, affectionate smile as he nodded in gratefulness.

Fuyutsuki visibly suppressed his urge to kill Gendo that moment in time.

**_To be continued, when I get stuck with my other fic again!_**

****A/N: The rest of the normal cast will be introduced when the time is appropriate. I mean, Misato and Kaji won't just go on a honeymoon in China, will they? Oh wait, that's a good idea!

I am torn between doing an Episode 26 Rei or doing the Normal Rei. I can characterize the former better, but whenever I do the latter she always seem too talkative for me. So, LIEK VOTE PLZZZZ!

Also, I'm not confident if I can actually do Mana justice and make her in character, since I only played a little of Girlfriend of Steel, and don't understand it all that well, and was just choosing random choices. I really don't know her well, but she likes Shinji from the start so she's awesome.

Also, I used wine because sake is a Japanese term, therefore I don't feel it appropriate to be used in another country.


End file.
